In these difficult economic times, Brunswick County resource agencies continue to see a growing number of people needing help.

From assistance with rent and mortgages, to help getting food and clothes, many nonprofits and area churches are feeling a crunch.

Instead of focusing on just band-aiding these difficult situations, many involved in community outreach want to do more—they want to examine the depth of poverty here and figure out long-term solutions to some of the issues that have plagued Brunswick County for generations.

Elected officials representing Brunswick County and other coastal communities have joined together to fight against what many are calling unfairly high homeowners’ insurance rate increases for this and other North Carolina beach communities.

Their push, including bills introduced in the North Carolina House and Senate, has been fueled by the outrage of many coastal residents who feel the 29.8 percent coastal insurance increase is too high, too unfair and done without enough public input.

Calabash residents and business owners have been fired up lately about the current Unified Development Ordinance being reviewed by Calabash commissioners.

In several public meetings business owners have claimed regulations set forth in the UDO are unfair. There have been complaints about everything from how the document was produced to the details inside it.

The UDO, if approved in its current form, would affect everything from eliminating rooftop signs in the town’s commercial district to requiring more uniform design policies throughout.

In this challenging economy, it’s an unfortunate reality businesses are closing their doors every day.

To assist residents of North Carolina, state Attorney General Roy Cooper has provided a list of tips to help us deal with companies that are going out of business to keep us from being left high and dry.

Brunswick Beacon Advertising Director Angie Sutton never imagined she, at age 37, would be diagnosed with breast cancer.

The active mother and businesswoman didn’t have any “first-degree” relatives who suffered from the disease, and because she was younger than 40, she wasn’t in the age group suggested to receive annual mammograms.

Brunswick County Rep. Bonner Stiller has teamed with other legislators in support of a bill that would outlaw the use of gas chambers at animal shelters in North Carolina. The push for this bill has been a grassroots effort as animal lovers throughout the state joined together to fight for this change.

If the bill is to be successful, supporters in this and other counties will have to be vocal about making it a priority for the state legislature this session.

As school started Jan. 9, so did the homework. As always, the first week of school would include a lot of introduction assignments. I usually do these assignments as fast as I can to get them completed.

This year, one of these assignments did a little more than help me get acquainted with my teacher and my classmates—it helped me get re-acquainted with myself.

I was absolutely shocked to see the article you wrote about Mr. Faircloth and his shooting of a beautiful bobcat in Brunswick County. Somehow I thought we had become more educated and tolerant of the beauty of the wildlife we share the land with.

Can it simply be ignorance that would cause someone to shoot a beautiful creature in its natural habitat for the sake of just shooting it? Can it be fair “sport” when a person armed with a rifle kills an innocent creature that has no chance against such things?

Unlike most people, I am not going to present an argument against a 30 percent increase in my homeowner’s policy. My insurance friends have my permission to also add that increase to my auto and health.

All I would ask of the insurance commissioner and my “like a good neighbor” friends is that in “all” these policies they raise one other thing while raising our rates. That one other thing would earn them a lot more money while costing us potentially more bucks. How about it? Deal or no deal?

The recent comments about increases in insurance rates have prompted this letter.

Insurance rates are based on risk factors primarily. If the chance you are going to have an accident is great, (see teenage drivers) your rate is higher because the chance of having to make a payment on your behalf is greater.

The rate is not spread over the entire age spectrum—if you are younger, you pay more.

If you’ve had the misfortune of sitting right beside me on a plane ride to anywhere, let me apologize. I’m one of those people who hate to fly, but I do it because I understand the value and time-savings the service provides.

During the late 1970s when I lived in Atlanta, I met a lady who was a longtime member of Ebenezer Baptist church in Atlanta—the childhood church of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. She said the style and manner in which King recited his Christmas and Easter speeches when he was 5 years old was an indication he was gifted and talented.

King enhanced his natural gifts and talents by excelling in the academic world. By all accounts he was a serious student. He graduated from high school at age 15 and from college at 19. He earned a doctorate degree by age 26.

How long is it going to take for our society to stop treating anyone as second class? The historic election certainly is a reminder we can grow. However, there are many in this country that may want public office but will not get it based on race or party label or religion.

It wasn’t that long ago blacks and women would have no shot at any high office, much less local public office. I am thrilled the son of an immigrant is now our president, which affirms that we are truly a nation of immigrants.